Less than 1 Month Left and No Bottle

I'm heading back to work mid-May and Kelly refuses to take a bottle. On one hand, she's nursing beautifully and I'm loving the easiness of not dealing with bottles and nursing her quickly wherever I am, etc. On the other hand, what the hell am I going to do??? I'm trying hard not to think of my friend whose baby screamed all day at day care and then nursed ALL NIGHT for a super-long time after she went back. Trying. Not. To. Think. About. It.

She won't even let her lips touch the nipple. Avent - out. Playtex - out. I just bought Nam and Gerber bottles which each have different shaped nipples. I tried breastmilk and formula. I tried all different temperatures. I tried partially nursing, then bottle. Full feeding, then bottle. Joe doing it. Me doing it. NOTHING IS WORKING! Fingers crossed one of these freakin bottles works soon.

Miscellaneous Notes on Walking Around Like a Loser and Cleaning

The other day I went to DSW to look for comfortable walking shoes for our upcoming trip to Disney. I rolled up my long jeans legs super high while trying on shoes and continued to walk around like that all day. Didn't notice I hadn't released the nerdy rollups until later at home. Nice.

Question: Why do people get those walkie talkie phones? Is it just too hard to put the cell phone along thy ear? Are we SO lazy and/or deaf that we need to broadcast the conversation with an echo out loud for all to hear? So annoying.

Today I managed to shower (hooray!), go to the outlets about an hour from me to return a few things from my last trip, pickup more of that awesome Snickerdoodle coffee on the way home, write 2 thank you notes, put names on Shelaghs bday party invitations (not addresses yet - why can't I finish anything I start????), clean the accumulated dirt and dust off of the double stroller and try it out with Kellys car seat, play with and feed Kelly and watch last weeks Greys Anatamy (during which I cried - do they have to kill a kid every week?).

I also vacuumed the filters on 2 of our A/Cs today. It was 80+ degrees yesterday and is supposed to be 90 tomorrow. Rory woke up from nap yesterday with a full wet head of sweat, poor kid. I don't know if I've ever seen such a gross collection of dirt/lint/dust ever as I did on these filters. See for yourself. Obviously, the bottom 2 squares show "before" the big vacuum and the top 2 squares show "after". So gross.

While we're talking about cleaning, I'm LOVING the Biokleen concentrated laundry detergent and dishwashing powder I've been using. It's cheap, goes on for 65+ loads, and smells just enough to be pleasant without overpowering - hard to find that combination. I was loving the Method Dishwasher rock things that you just pop into the powder container, but I can't seem to locate those anywhere. Have also been loving the Method wood cleaning wipes with the mild almond scent. Normally I don't like scents, but this one is okay. They also have an unscented hand soap I've been using that is working well for my sensitive skin and aversion to most scents.

Off to pick up the kids and continue the mad rush to prep for our upcoming Disney vacation. YEAH! More on that later.

Pumpkin-Cranberry Muffins

Rory and Kelly were both sleeping after lunch yesterday so Shelagh and I decided to make muffins. Rory has been sans vegetables for awhile now so I decided on Pumpkin-Cranberry. He likes all muffins so that's my guarantee for him with veggies. I had clipped a recipe from Cooking Light. I didn't have any buttermilk, but made some with milk and lemon juice. Also, I increased the cranberries (or rather Shelagh decorated the top of each muffin with extras). They came out nice and smelled up the whole kitchen.

As a side note, Kelly and I tooled around Barnes & Noble last week and I finally picked a muffin cookbook so I can start making more varieties. It's called 500 Best Muffin Recipes by Esther Brody. She had other baking books and after spending an hour looking at about 7 different books, this one seemed like what I was looking for. I'll post when I make something from it.

Herbed Butterflied Leg of Lamb, Israeli Couscous & Zucchini Ribbons

It sounds good, doesn't it? The lamb didn't cook through, the couscous had too much parsley, but the zucchini was awesome. I used a Food and Wine recipe for the Herbed Leg of Lamb. It's basically a leg of lamb sliced open and stuffed with herbs and tied back up...in this case Parsley, Thyme, Marjoram, and Chives. I don't usually like to bite into Parsley, but I'm trying to be more flexible about this, so I used less than was called for. I didn't want to buy Marjoram just for this, so I substituted oregano. Chives have already started to grow in my garden (yeah!) from last year and I swiped some thyme into my parsley bag at the store. It would have been $10 just for herbs that I wouldn't have used for much else! The inside didn't cook, but the parts that cooked through were tasty. I think I like a garlicky, rosemary lamb instead, though.

The Israeli Couscous was a random purchase from TJ's, but I saw a recipe for Israeli Couscous with Parsley and Shallots in Everyday Food that also called for parsley (what else would I do with a whole bunch of it otherwise?) and decided to make it. Once again, I cut down the parsley in half (I'll cut it by 3/4 next time) and it was wonderful. I also actually cut the shallots and used the extra in the zucchini. You saute the dried couscous first, then add water and cook through and then add sauteed shallots, parsley and lemon. So good. Really chewy with a nutty flavor.

Then, I sliced a couple of zucchini longways into ribbons and sauteed them with the shallots and some Adobo seasoning. This was my favorite part of the meal actually and I just finished them with lunch.

Martha Stewart Ham

I picked up one of these at Costco a couple of weeks ago and just made it this weekend. It's all natural, but not spiral cut. I almost didn't buy it b/c it wasn't precut, but it was really excellent! I cooked it for 2 hours at 300. Before the last 30 minutes I scored the outside and glazed it with 1/4 cup brown sugar mixed with 1/4 cup of honey. I did have to warm it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so to soften it enough to mix it and spread it. The glaze was awesome. Everyone liked it and now what the hell am I going to do with all the leftovers?????

I saved the bone to make the ham and bean soup. I guess I could put some of the meat in that too and freeze it. I don't usually like to freeze cooked meat. The last 2 days I've had ham & pineapple dipped in honey mustard for lunch. I'll put some in scrambled eggs. Looks like Joe and I will be eating this for lunch for the next week or two.

Trader Joes Convert

I've avoided getting into the Trader Joes craze for quite some time now. The main reasons are

1. I don't usually buy already prepared foods...I'd rather make most things myself both for taste reasons and because I like to know what I'm eating.
2. It's a total pain in the ass to go to multiple grocery stores, especially with 3 kids now.

However, my mom turned me on to the Jasmine Green Tea they sell there, which I love and my friend turned me on to the Peanut Butter Cups which are heavenly. Combine that with the stress of trying to make a fast, home-cooked meal on a work day after picking up 2 kids at day care and I've started to cut some corners and incorporate a little prepared food into my repetoire. Each time I visit TJ's I discover a new thing that I'm happy with and will start buying. Here's my list of the things I really love there...

• Meatballs: Party-sized & Regular - I used to be adamant about making my own meatballs, but since I cannot manage to make them round (see post on triangular meatballs) and since Rory eats so few things, I relented and bought the party sized meatballs for him to eat with toothpics. They are great. I think it's the beef & pork mixture.
• French Onion Soup: I make really rich and delicious French Onion soup, but it takes awhile with all the onions you have to cut. TJs had a box of 2 soups that come with the baguette and cheese and just bake for 40 minutes. With a salad it's a good dinner for Joe and I on a work night.
• Pesto Sausage: Rory loves these. They are chicken and turkey with pesto and he can eat a ton of them.
• Mango & Peach juices: Just so good... We don't drink a lot of juice in our house, but this is a treat.
• Vanilla Almond Crunch Granola: Really yummy...Joe eats this all the time - so does Shelagh.
• Peanut Butter Granola bars: Delish. I like a chewy, not crunchy, granola bar and these are perfectly chewy with a layer of peanut butter something-or-other on the top.
• Snickerdoodle & Chocolate Chip frozen cookie dough: Joe gave up ice cream and chocolate for lent so he was craving fresh cookies at night. These are easy to pop in the toaster oven and delicious.
• Fish Sticks: Kids love these.
• cheap olive oil & honey & nuts: Olive oil is so expensive, but you can get a liter bottle there for $8-9.
• jarred peaches & pears: In juice, not syrup, and yummy. Shelagh, Rory, and I can polish off a whole jar in one sitting.

That's it for now...I'm sure there will be more.

Bruised & Old Part 2

Oh, platform bed. Why do you jut out so? Why do you continue to torture me with massive grapefruit-sized bruises and lumps from the inevitable collision with my leg at least once every few months? I suppose having my bed right in front of the door doesn't help matters, but it is what it is.

In addition to the growth the bed caused, which lies conveniently near my 2 spots of broken blood vessels I attribute with love to Kelly and my ginormous baby belly, both my knees have been totally sore for the last couple of weeks. They are fine when I'm walking normally, but any deep knee bends (which I thought were the smart choice to preserve my back when holding a baby) or stairs and they are both achy. Joe keeps telling me to ice them, but alas, that is work. Hey, wait! I have a new ice maker so I won't have to stare at the empty ice trays for days afterwards b/c I'm too lazy to fill them and then put them underneath the frozen ones.

Crows feet, sore back, sore knees, bruises, broken blood vessels and varicose veins. I'm seriously falling apart. On a positive note, pregnancy and breastfeeding hormones do wonders for my hair and nails.

Braised Cabbage

A girlfriend of mine gifted me with a cookbook I've wanted for some time now - All About Braising by Molly Stevens. I've been reading it from the beginning and just got through the vegetable section. Everything looks so good I've dog-eared most of the recipes. Last night I tried Braised Cabbage and it was really yummy and super easy.

Basically, it goes as follows:

1. Oil a baking dish and preheat oven to 325.
2. Cut cabbage into 8 wedges and form a single layer in the dish
3. Thickly slice an onion and slice circles from 1 carrot and sprinkle over cabbage.
4. Drizzle 1 1/2 Tbl oil over cabbage, 1/4 cup broth, salt & pepper and tightly cover with foil.
5. Braise for 1 hour and turn the cabbage over careful not to break wedges apart.
6. Braise for another hour and then remove foil, season with more salt, 1 1/2 Tbl balsamic vinegar, and raise oven temp to 400.
7. Roast for 15 minutes and then serve.

The slow braise removes the harshness of the cabbage. I didn't salt enough, but overall the dish was really good and cabbage is a cheap vegetable if you need to spend little on groceries for a particular week.

There are seriously a million recipes in this book I want to make. I'm going to try the braised fingerling potatoes and leek recipe with a ham this weekend.

Update: It is even better the next day. I just had it for lunch and it's good cold and hot.

New Refrigerator!! Old Kitchen :(

The constant leaking of water from the freezer into the refrigerator finally got on my last nerve and we bought a new refrigerator. We are not even close to redoing our kitchen unfortunately (thank you shitty real estate market for devaluing my home and screwing up my refi). But, the frig couldn't wait so stainless steel beauty, welcome to our crappy kitchen. You will shine and glow and overpower everything else in this run-down cabinet, no light, terrible floor, and so much potential locale. Joe had to saw part of the cabinet off to make it fit!


Look how full I got the frig already! I like the bottom door freezer, but it's taking some getting used it. As you can see, I've been as strategic as I can and now need to eat some food out of that freezer so there is room for stuff.


By the way, the door is not working right and the water hookup hasn't been set up yet. Both should happen today so fingers crossed that we can, in fact, hook up to our water by weaving copper behind our shitty cabinets to our sink and that the door on the BRAND NEW frig can be fixed to seal properly.

Lava Flow

Not that people want to hear about the details of my kids poop, but here we go. Of course we are on our way out of the house and in a rush this morning. I finally get Shelagh and Rory into shoes and coats (this is an ordeal every day - "Mommy, I need you to help me", "Mommy, I can do it myself", "Mommy, I have to poop now", etc, etc...you get the idea). As I get Kelly strapped into her carset she lets out this man-size fart and I know she's going to explode now. And she does.

Out of the carseat and over to change the diaper. I open the diaper and here comes more. Ewww. I close the diaper again quickly and - success - the poop is caught in the dirty diaper. You'd think I'd wait a minute or two before trying again, but no. I start to wipe it up and BAM, out comes more. Damn, it hits the onesie so now I have to take off her sweatshirt to change the onesie. It's hard to be annoyed b/c she is smiling so big up at me. I put a new diaper underneath her and BAM, out comes more again and Rory replies with "Mommy, Kellys poop is yellow! I love yellow!" Which he does.

It's now all over the changing pad cover, my hands, her onesie (it's a dance to get it over her head without transferring the poop to her hair, by the way). It's bad enough changing stinky poops all the time, but actually watching them come out and trying to catch them is a whole other ball game. And that was my morning!

Happy Easter

The Easter Bunny left his mark and the kids were amazed
(thanks for the idea, Pam)!


Kelly is a trooper in the tub


Rory & Shelagh with fresh haircuts

Ghost Cries

It was Thursday late morning. The kids were at school, Kelly was sleeping, and it had been 2 days without a shower (normal these days unfortunately). The furnace was definitely working so I would get guaranteed hot water and Kelly was out like a light. Long, hot shower, here I come. In I go...The cold water is almost completely off, the perpetual clog was clearing, no congestion for the first time in about a month. Heaven.

Then, out of nowhere come the ghost cries. Did I hear Kelly crying? Poke my head out and nothing. Settle back into the heat and steam. Wait! I swear I hear hysteria. False alarm. Calm, water beating on my back. Am I going crazy or was that some seriously loud cries? Nothing. Even when all the stars align and the hot water doesn't run out and 2 out of 3 kids aren't even home, I can't just let go. Mom forever.

Books: Sarahs Key & Watchmen

I enjoyed this book so much - it was a rec from my mom. It was very intense and sad, but I couldn't put it down. So much so that with only a few chapters left when I finished the elliptical today, I sat down on the floor at the gym and finished it. Totally choked up at the gym...embarrassing. It's about the round-up of Jewish families in Paris by the French police doing the bidding of the Germans. In the first chapter, a little girl locks her brother in their secret hiding place so that he is safe assuming she'll be back to let him out later. You can imagine the heartbreaking and inevitable result. Simultaneously, it's about an American journalist living in Paris years later and how she discovers this girls story. Anyway, it's by Tatiana de Rosnay and I recommend it highly.

I'm finishing Watchmen today also. I've really liked this one too and can't wait to see the movie. Unfortunately, I'm picturing the actors as I'm reading, but as much as I can distinguish between the 2, I'm thinking the casting was well done. This is my 2nd foray into Graphic Novels. I can't say I'm a total convert but I've been impressed with the 2 series I've read - Watchmen & Y: The Last Man.

Score @ Macys 1 Day Sale!

I've been coveting a Le Creuset for quite some time now, but there was NO WAY I'd spend $250+ on the size I wanted (6 Qt or larger). I went to Macys today to find a Martha Stewart Salad Food Storage thingy (holds 1 salad + dressing in 1 container), which of course is still sold out. On the clearance rack was a Martha Stewart 7 Qt Round Cast Iron/Enamel braising pot on sale from $140 down to $35. I almost peed my pants! But, instead, I just bought it and despite the fact that I wanted oval and that it's electric green, I'm thrilled at my awesome deal today!

Old

I bought anti-wrinkle cream today. Partly, I did this b/c it was on the 60% off rack and I love a good bargain coupled with the enjoyment I get from buying just about anything. Partly, I did this b/c I've developed crazy crows feet and have been thinking about probably having to motivate in this area for some time now. I don't look old, I don't think. Actually, I'm usually told I look not old enough to have kids. Wrinkles + baby face = Weird female Benjamin Button thing going for me. Not cool.

Southie Java House Snick

A shout out to Southie...
We just dropped Joe off in South Boston for a wedding tonight. I made him first pull over and sit with the kids while I got my first Snickerdoodle coffee (with extra milk and sugar) at the Java House coffee house on Broadway. Regular, not Decaf after my night last night. It's been at least 8 years since I've had this awesome joe. Throws me back to the days when Joe and I first started dating. He lived next door to this local coffee house and I'd grab a Jumbo "Snick" on the way to work every time (Jumbo means medium, by the way. Starbucks isn't the only one that misnames their cups). It is so damn good. Tastes just like a snickerdoodle cookie. I also bought a pound of it to bring home. There is a place called Baileys at the other end of Broadway and L Street that has great Snickerdoodle coffee too, but Java House takes the cake and it was a stones throw when you were hungover and had to stumble over. Hats off to Southie Snick. (Thinking of MA now, Bets?).

Kellys 1st Hospital Visit (She's OK)

It was bound to happen...I'm pretty sure I had the flu last week. Fever, chills, dizziness, chest cold, head cold...you name it. I felt like ass. This is the 2nd time I've been super sick since Kelly has been born and it's amazing it took this long for her to catch something (between that and Rory snotting on her and sneezing and coughing on her). She was totally fine all day and then Joe said last night she felt really hot. Lo and behold she had 101.2 and the pediatrician sent us to the ER. So, off I went at 1030pm and did not return until 530am this morning.

As a rule, they do a 1) urine test, 2) blood test, and 3) spinal tap. Yes, you read that right. A spinal tap. This is b/c she is less than 3 months with what is considered a high fever for an infant. After talking to Joe I questioned the Dr and he agreed that other than feeling hot, Kelly looked totally fine and that maybe we could see what the other tests revealed first. Good thing, b/c it took 3 tries on the catheter for the urine test and they ended up bagging her instead. It then took 3 tries to get the blood. Poor thing screamed through all the poking and prodding. Otherwise, she was an angel - smiling and cooing at all the nurses and drs, especially for being awake for 4 hours straight. Then she passed out on me and I had to wait until she peed (2 hours) and then for the results (another hour).

As expected, she is fine, probably has my flu, and checked out perfectly with no fever at the dr this afternoon. I got about 3 hours of sleep this morning and am about to pass out.